Steam engine



Dec 1, 1925.

J. H. LIVINGSTON STEAM ENGINE Filed Feb. 23.

s Sheet-Sheet 1 A TTORNEYS Dec.' 1, 1925.

J. H. LIVINGSTON STEAM ENGINE Filed Feb. 28, 1922 3 Sheets-Shout 2.

D 1, 1925. 1,564,137 J. H. LIVINGSTON STEAM ENGINE Filed Feb. 28. 1922 3 Sheets-Sheet 3 WI T NESSE 8 I/Vl/E/VTUR 4 TTOR/VE rs Patented Dec. 1, 1925 UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON, 015' HOLLY RIDGE, LOUISIANA.

i STEAIH ENGINE.

Application filed February 28, 1922. Serial No. 540,048.

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I. J on H. LIVINGSTON,

a citizen of the United States, and a resident of Holly Ridge, in the parish of Richland and State of Louisiana, have invented certain new and useful Improvements in Steam Engines, of which the following is a specifioation.

The present invention relates to an improvement in steam engines adapted for use with locomotives as well as for general use.

The object of the invention is to provide an improved steam engine of this character which is highly efficient in operation in that it produces a maximum power from the steam or other motive fluid which it utilizes; which is susceptible of being controlled by an extremely simple valve mechanism, which is flexible and reversible in operation; and which is in general of simple and durable construction, reliable in operation and easy and inexpensive to manufacture.

Other objects and advantages of the i11- vention reside in certain novel features of construction, combination and arrangement of parts which will be hereinafter more fully described and particularly pointed out in the appended claim, reference being had to the accompanying drawings forming part of this specification. and in which:

Figure 1 is a side elevational view, illustrating an embodiment of the invention;

Figure 2 is a plan view thereof;

Figure 3 'is' a view of the reciprocating cylinder and associated'parts in vertical section;

Figure -it is a similar view in horizontal section;

Figure 5 is a detail view, illustrating the sliding action between the stationary and movable steam pipes; and

Figure 6 is a plan view, illustrating the reversing mechanism which may be organized with the invention; and

Figure 7 is a fragmentary view thereof in side elevation.

Referring to the drawings wherein for the sake of illustration is shown the preferred embodiment of the invention, the numeral 10 designates diagrammatically the foundation upon which the engine is supported. Pedestals 11 'upstand from the foundation and support at their upper ends longitudinally extending slide rods 12.

A reciprocating cylinder 15 is provided and is formed at its ends with flanges 16, heads 17 being fitted to the ends of the cylinder and being secured thereto by bolts and nuts 18 which coact with the flanges 16. The heads 17 carry bearing lugs 19 which are slidably mounted on the rods 12 whereby the cylinder 15 is supported for reciprocatory motion. i 2

A piston, designated at 20, (see Figures 3 and 4;) is arranged in the cylinder 15 for reciprocatory movement and is provided with a piston rod 21 which slidably extends through astufiing box or gland 22 provided in one of the heads 17 of the cylinder.

A drive shaft 25 is rotatably mounted in bearings 26 which upstand from the founda tion 10, as shown in Figures 1 and 2. The drive shaft 25 is actuated by both the reciprocating cylinder 15 and the reciprocating piston 20, and for this purpose it is provided at one end with av crank 27 which preferably includes a disk 28 having a pin 29 projecting laterally therefrom and spaced radially from the axis of rotation of the disk and the shaft 25. A second pin 30 is also provided and is ofi'set laterally and also angularly to the extent of 180 by means of a connecting arm 31. A cylinder connecting rod 32 is operatively connected at one end to the crank pin 29 and is pivotally connected at its other end to the bracket 33 secured to the adjacent end of the cylinder 15 whereby the motion of the cylinder is transmitted to the-drive shaft. A piston connecting rod 34 is operatively connected at one end to thecrank pin 30 and it is pivotally connected at its other end to a cross head 35 which is rigidly secured to the piston rod 21 and which is mounted for sliding movement in cross head guides 36 carried by a frame 37 bolted, as at 38, to the foundation. Inthis manner the motion of the piston 20 is also transmitted to the driveshaft 25.

A steam chest 40 surmounts the cylinder 15 and within the steam chest a valve block 41 is provided. The valve block is formed with steam ports designated at 42, 13 and 4A. The ports 42 and 43 communicate with the opposite ends of the cylinder 15 by means of pipes and passages, designated respectively at 415 and 16' and the port 44; communicates with the exhaust outlet -17 which leads laterally through l the valve block, it being understood that the ports 42, 13 and 4 1 open into thesteam chest. A slide valve 50 operates on the valve block and controls communication of the ports 42 and 43 with the steam chest and with the port 44, the valve having a cavity 51 therein which successively overlies the ports 42 and 44 and 44 and 43.

A valve rod 53 is connected with the valve 50 and operates through a stuffing box 54 provided on the steam chest. A pitman 55 secured to the valve rod by a coupling 56 is pivotally connected to a screw 57 by which it is adjustably secured to the upper end of an operating arm 59, the lower end of which operating arm being secured to the end of the pitman of the connecting rod 32, as shown in Figure 1. Anut 58 is arranged on the screw and abuts the operating arm to secure the screw in adjusted position. In this manner the movements of the valve are timed with respect to the movements of the cylinder and piston and adjustment of the valve may be readily had by manipulating the screw 57 and nut 58 1 A steam supply pipe 60 is carried by and opens into the steam chest 40, and a steam exhaust pipe 61 is carried by the valve block and communicates with the exhaust outlet 47. The steam supply and exhaust pipes 60 and 61 thus move with the cylinder and they operate in stationary pipes, designated at 62 and 63, respectively, the stationary pipes being mounted on a suitable support, designated at 64 and slidably receivingythe movable pipes 60 and 61, stuiiing boxes, designatedat 65 and 66 being provided. These stationarypipes and movable pipes andtheir stuffing boxes are identical in construction so that the detail showing in Figure 5' of the pipes 60 and 62 and their stuffingboxes 65 illustrates also the constructions of the pipes 61 and 63 and their stufling boxes 66-. T

In operation, the valve 50 moves'tdand from over the valve block, and when the valve uncovers the port 42 its cavity'51 overlies the ports 43 and 44 so that while the steam is flowing in through the passage 45 into one end of the cylinder the steam from the other end of the cylinder is exhausted through the passage 46, port 43', cavity 51, port 44. and exhaust outlet 47 to the exhaust pipe 61. covers the port 43 its cavity 51 overlies the ports 42 and 44 so that while the steam is flowing in through the port 43 and passage 46' to one end of the cylinder it is exhausted through passage 45, port 42, cavity 51, port 44 and exhaust outlet 47 to the exhaust pipe 61. When the steam expands in either end of the cylinder it transmits motion to the cylinder 15 as well as to the piston 20- and the motion. of both the cylinder and the piston is transmitted to the drive shaft, the mo tion of the cylinder by means of the connecting rod 32 and crank pin 29 and the motion of the piston by means of the cross V on the cylinder.

Similarly when the valve 50 'unhead 35 to the connecting rod 34 and crank pin 30.

An important feature of the invention resides in the valve control or valve mechanism whichv as described consists simply of an operating arm 59 fixed at one end to the pitman 32 and connected with the valve rod 53 by the adjustable connection including the screwsr57 and nut 58, the connecting rod 55 and the coupling 56. All eccentrics or the like are eliminated and the screw 57 and nut 58 provide a ready means whereby the valve maybe adjusted as desired.v

In Figure 6'the invention is shown organized with areversingmechanism. In this embodiment I the invention is especially adapted for use with locomotives. This embodiment of the invention is similar in all respects with the embodiment previously described except with respect to the valve operating means to be presently described and with respect to the steam supply and exhaust pipes which are designatedat 60'and 61 and which extend in an opposite direction from the steam exhaust and supply pipes of Z the foregoing embodiment, this-being neces sary in order to'adapt the embodiment'for use with locomotives.

The valve operating mechanism in this embodiment includes an operating-arm T59 fixed to the pitman as in the previous embodiment and connected with a valve "rod or connecting rod 76. The valve rod 76 has mounted on the end thereof remote from the operating arm 59a link block 77 which is adjustably mounted in the link 78 fulcrumed, as at '79, on a pedestal '80 provided A short rod 81 connects the link 78 with a valve stem or rodv 82 which'corresponds to the valve stem or rod of the previous embodiment of the invention. It is obvious that by adjusting the link block 77 on the link 78 the valve operating mechanism may be shifted from forward to reverse or vice versa. Link '78 may be operated horizontally or vertically I claim: 7

In a steam engine, a reciprocating cylinder, a piston arranged for reciprocatory movementin said cylinder, a crank shaft having crank pins, motion transmission means between the crank shaft and the cylinder, motion transmission means between the crank shaft and the piston, and valve mechanismincluding. a valve and operating means therefor including an operating arm actuated from the cylinder connecting rod, a valve rod connecting with the operating arm, a link block connected with the valve rod, a link adjustably receiving the link block, a pedestal carried by the cylinder upon which the link is fulcrumed and a short rod between said link and the valve.

JOHN HENRY LIVINGSTON. 

